Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-10-26
IHG OLD FASHIONED WAY.
Herbs Given for Ailments-.Women In
Council Over the sick-Good Nursing.


Council Over the sick-Good Nursing.
All women believe in herbs. Men, al
least, pretend not to. But il is part OF
manhood TO laugh at US and our notions
but notice that John is always ready tc
take, or even call for, decostion OF
some Of my fragrant punches when he
gets under the weather. In the spring OF
the year bowl of boneset tea Is sure to
be needed, and it saves doctors bills. j
know they laugh at it and wish instead
that shall take thirty-third dilution of
deadly aconite or niShtshade. | do not
see why we should throw away innocent
herbs for rank poisons, or why mineral
drugs should he more honorable or safe
than vegetable. So shall cling to my
old fashioned ways and have faith in the
virtues Of hyssop and mint. Heaven help
us! but am afraid TO have their poisons
growing in my beds of flowers lest a child
will chew one of them and die.
l am just old enough TO remember one
or two old style kitchens-twenty feet
square and full to the muzzle fsgood
things, The ceiling was low-only over
tall mans head-and you should see
how the great be IS were hung with
apples on strings, and lunches Of parsley,
and dill. and mullen. and rue, and
savory, and mints, and saffron, and
tansy. and dozen more of nature heal
ers. Ii was around an enormous CHM
ney. eight feet square, i think-and the
odors were as sweet as the smell of the
doughnuts that were SKINNED from the
lard, in the big kettle that swung on a
crane over the backlog, Have | owned
too much as TO my ageg A woman must
not have too ancient a memory, Yet /
cannot help it. | do remember those
herbs, and days Of herbs, with delight
all but the cookies with carroway seeds
in them. | preferred fennel-and now
people will have neither one nor the
other.
In thosa days doctors bills were never
allowed 10 swallow up farm and turn
folks out of doors. The grandmother was
chief doctor, and her experience was con-
sidered authority but all the women in
the neighborhood held council, and each
one advised and prescribed. So it hap
pened one was well purged. and some
times terribly dosed. If one dose did not
do the thing, another would. First one,
then the othe' We had in our family
the castor oil uarty. and the salts party,
and when on Of US had indiScreetly loaded
in too many plums, she was sure to have
to swallow 10th salts and oil. So much
for parties and scots. And when one has
down penuyroyal and rhubarb and SIENNA
and cherry bark. who is to tell which it
IL does the work? II one did but get well.
the glory Of il was enough TO 90 round.
and each would claim the success: but if
the patient died, who, indeed, was to
blame: II was the other party medicine
that did it.
But il was the nursing that did the
curing in those days. would gladly he
sick once more if could again feel the
touch of that soft hand smoothing my
pillows. Ii ! should live 1000 years
. there will never I've a sensation so good
as tlat-the mothers hand. All other
hands are more or less selfish, but the
hand Of a mother brings in il the whole
soul And the smell of those lavender
and sweet clover sheets and pillows! How
could disease face such love and sweet
ness. But there were then no diphtherias
and hundred more sicknesses of modern
invention. There Were measles and
mumps and chicken pox for everybody.
We went to school to learn spelling and
catch the regulation diseases. Then the
right erbs were sure to DE on hand To
cure them. They had faith. too. in those
days-if not in Mother Eddy, at least in
the real mother who bore them and nursed
them.
Many plants give US health by the
smell, as well as by taking them into the
stomach But dogs and cats find common
grass to have medicinal qualities Before
a rain Roger and Bess will nibble quani-
ties If grass; and it is one Of the best
weather signs. Our own health is
affected quite as much by what we in
hale rs by what we imbibe. Pine woods
give lis invigorating odors. Many Of the
garden flowers give us ozone, which we
breathe and get .strength,from. But the
garden herbs are especially valuable in
the same way. confess that what
like best about the herbs is the sweet
odors. A crushed handful Of peppermint
or pennyroyal, or summer savory, or even
horse mint. is delightful.
Every autumn ! 90 on several herb ex-
cursions and if it happens, do not hesi.
tate to gather few roots as well. Null
lins must have for drafts. Boneset is
invaluable for jauudice. Every American
is entitled to get bilious. It is preroga-
tive of all pie and pork eaters. Then he
must have his thoroughwort tea. For
stoutcr bitter il is well to have
wormwoOd in the house. Peppermint
and catnip are specific for colo. Black
berry roots are the best Of remedies for
diarrhca and choleraic difficulties. This
is charming 30 be ones own doctor: to
learn the sympathy Of each part Of the
body for special vegetable growths. -
Mary L. Spencer in Globe-Democrat